Norwegian Adds Austin & Chicago to its Nonstop London Flights (Starting at $174)

On Wednesday, Norwegian announced it is launching new flights from Austin & Chicago to London’s Gatwick Airport in March 2018. Flights can be found for $174 one-way ($249 from Austin) and all routes fly the new Boeing 787-9 stretch Dreamliner. Norwegian also expanded its Paris flights with the addition of nonstop fares from Boston & Oakland.

Service from Austin to London will launch on March 27, with 3x weekly flights

Service from Chicago to London will launch on March 25, with 4x weekly flights

While $174 appears incredibly cheap, Norwegian does charge for checked bags ($45 each way), seat assignment, and meals. If you can pack light (carry-on under 22 lbs), and bring your own snacks and drinks, you can save quite a bit of cash. The flight is nonstop, so it’s possible to get by on a few protein bars, and a bottle of water. I booked the March 25th inagural from Chicago to London for $156 on the Norwegian language site (see Thrifty Tip).

Bottom Line

While Norwegian has a significant presence on the east and west coasts, it’s presence is missing for those of us in the fly over states. It’s great to see new budget offerings, and hopefully Norwegian will continue to expand their service to other locations in the midwest. Continued expansion of budget carriers will continue to put competitive pressure on airlines to lower prices for transatlantic flights. New budget competition is much needed in the Austin and Chicago markets.